Monday, July 28, 2008

Come with us as we meet Gisele Martin of Tlaook Cultural Adventures in Tofino, British Columbia! Gisele and her husband Doug run this incredible cultural canoing tour off the coast of the west coast of Vancouver Island!

Gisele and her father Joe Martin were a big part of the reason behind the preservation of their local environment, preventing the logging companies from clear cutting this pristine forest, that is a natural habitat for all kinds of wild life and sheer beauty! You see the First Nation's people select individual trees to carve canoes from, and many times they only take part of a large tree to do their carvings - if they can't commit to using the whole tree for their purposes.

Want to learn about forest and fishing sustainability? Meet Gisele and Joe Martin!

Then on our canoing trip, Gisele takes us into the forest that she helped protect and we pick some fresh huckleberries for the special, traditional bannock bread we prepare...baked in the solar oven we brought along with us!

Tofino is sincerely one of the most beautiful places on the planet! Warm people, great surfing, fantastic storm watching and some of the tastiest restaurants, from the Pointe Restaurant at the Wickaninnish Inn, to SOBO and of course fresh, wild salmon on a stick...a recipe prepared for us on the beach with Joe Martin from Tlaook Cultural Adventures (coming soon, stay tuned!)

Sunday, July 27, 2008

We're so glad to have this ban on Trans Fat take effect in California, although too bad it will take until 2010 for it to kick in. We also believe that this ought to be legislated nationally, especially in school lunch programs where type 2 diabetes has become an epidemic!

We filmed a wonderful episode on Ann Cooper, the school lunch lady for Berkeley Unified School Systems, where she has completely turned around the diets for school children from K-12, including teaching the kids where their food comes from and how to eat more veggies and fruits.

The results are startling! After feeding kids healthier school lunches (sans Trans Fat and processed foods), the rate of A.D.D and & A.D.H.D dropped like a rock, grades went through the roof (with better attention spans and focus), and they've seen a complete turn around in childhood obesity (the key factor that contributes to type 2 diabetes in kids).

Thursday, July 24, 2008

At the recent Doof-a-Palooza event held at Google's headquarters, we got out the Solar cookers from the Solar Oven Society http://www.SolarOvens.org and whipped up some wonderful vegan oatmeal cookies (thanks to the complete assistance from the chefs at Google), and baked them in the sun for all the kids to learn about and enjoy.

We've been getting so many requests for the recipe, that we decided to post it on the blog, so here you go! (PS you don't need a solar oven to bake these delicious cookies, but it sure does taste better we think!).

Seems like it's always such a challenge for mainstream media to assess crowd numbers. Take into consideration Barack Obama's speech in a Berlin, Germany park today, where MSNBC.com photo caption stated "Senator Obama drew thousands of people..." Other news networks used the 'tens of thousands' line, and still others just said a 'large crowd.'

Just for some perspective on this, "Police spokesman Bernhard Schodrowski said the speech drew more than 200,000 people."

Now take a look at the photo again with that number in mind and you begin to get the correct impression of how many people were actually there.

Think about the last time you saw a crowd of 200,000 people. Perhaps you were at your city's largest sports stadium, and even those can barely hold 60,000+ people - so just close your eyes and imagine almost 2 of those stadiums filled to capacity and then copy that image and paste into a park in the center of Berlin and that ought to help connect the image to the tag line.

We remember filming the pro-peace march in downtown San Francisco in 2003, prior to the Iraq invasion, where the media was cropping images of the crowd photos and saying several thousand people showed up to parade down market street...well we captured over 250,000 people if not more with our cameras that day - so, from that point forward we always look to as many press and independent camera views on a topic as we can to ascertain the true depth of reporting.

Perhaps this isn't the biggest news story of the day, or the greatest issue the world is confronting right now, but we believe that it is important for all of us to be our own filters on news and events - and not some editorial staff on payroll of a large corporate concern that has a real vested interest in framing your emotional response to things.

Monday, July 21, 2008

We're asking all of our TV viewers through our blog to recommend James Ehrlich, Executive Producer and Director of Organic Living TV with the Hippy Gourmet to be an active contributer to the Huffington Post.

James has been producing positive, environmental and green/sustainable Television for the better part of a decade now, is the co-author of a best-selling organic cookbook "The Hippy Gourmet's Quick and Simple Cookbook for Healthy Eating," and is a frequent speaker at conferences and expos, and is of course an active and passionate blogger on all things sustainable.

Organic Living TV is in its 10th season on national PBS, is on Dish Network Channel 9415 (FSTV), on Comcast On-Demand and national commercially syndicated TV via Granite Broadcasting, and is partnered with Google and YouTube globally.

We are proud to work with James at Organic Living TV, and for all he does to help feature wonderful stories about people making a difference for a better environment and world. Look up HippyGourmet on Google or YouTube and you'll find us. To our viewers and blog readers, please visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Dartmouth College's Big Green Bus came rolling into town this week, powered by used veggie oil, charged up with five roof top solar panels, and loaded with Dartmouth undergrads spending their summer spreading the good word about sustainable living!

http://www.TheBigGreenBus.org - is traveling over 12,000 miles in a loop around the U.S., stopping at key locations to invite people on the bus to show them how used veggie oil from deep fryers across the country fuels their trip - as well as teaching kids and adults how easy it is to lead a planet-friendly lifestyle.

We also have to love the solar array on the roof, bringing in over 250 watts per panel that lets these undergrads relax with TV, stereo surround sound, PS2 and charging capacity for their cell phones and lap tops...all from the power of the sun!

Looking into the bright eyes of these undergrads, who are so passionate about making a difference (even on their summer break) - one can't help but feel hopeful that we still have a chance to turn things around for future generations!

Check out the Big Green Bus website and see when they're coming to you...they'll be happy to see you!

This MSNBC article is poignant for a few reasons, but also misses on a few major food groups as well.

First of all, yes there are plenty of great ways to find less expensive organic ingredients out there, from farmer's markets, to CSA's (community supported agriculture), to even growing your own 'Victory Garden'!

But then the article veers off the healthy highway to indicate that it's ...'OK for healthy adults to not eat organic ingredients as much, but more important for kids...' Of course we believe that it's crucially important for everyone to eat organically grown foods, because good health isn't just important for kids, but for adults and senior citizens as well!

The more people go out and support their local, sustainable, organic and bio-dynamic family farmers, the more availability there will be of fresh local produce, and the prices can finally start to come down a bit.

Ask yourselves a key question next time you're at the super market...a dollar less on conventional X fruit or veggie and a big question mark as to the kinds of chemicals and pesticides, fertilizers and other poisonous gunk on and in them, or one less mile to drive and eating healthier for you and your family?

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Yesterday we spent the day at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California at an annual event called "DooF-a-Palooza" - which stands for 'Food spelled backwards' - and is all about supporting a new PBS kids cooking series called "DooF"

Teaching kids where their food comes from and inspiring them at an early age to be excited about good nutrition is a wonderful thing!

The event takes place all over Google's main campus area, with fun, interactive booths set up for kids to participate in all aspects of learning about food.

What a great chance to introduce kids to their local farmers and food producers, and for everyone to be reminded how much love and artistry goes into growing and nurturing all our abundant fruits and veggies!

Of course the Hippy Gourmet film crew was on hand to capture the event for an upcoming episode we're planning, and we even had our executive producer and director James Ehrlich out there baking solar, vegan cookies! As usual, we used the SolarOvens.org solar cookers as well as the Tulsi Solar Cooker to demonstrate how simple, easy and grid-free baking yummy cookies can be in a solar oven!

Google is an incredible company that cares deeply for the community, both surrounding and global. We were so blessed to have the full support of Google chefs, Google staff and a multitude of volunteers that helped us every step of the way!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

We are so blessed to be able to discover some of the true gems around our world, where the cultivation of organic ingredients are harvested by local communities - feeding families and grounding their joy in pure sustainability.

In this visit to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, we meet the Ehrlich family at Alderlea Farm:

Katy Ehrlich takes us on a tour of how their small family farm feeds over 75 families in their local CSA (community supported agriculture) program. Then we meet up with John Ehrlich who uncovers some of the mysteries of bio-dynamic farming practices, as he digs up some buried treasure (cow horns filled with finely aged manure) in their fields.

Being on the farm means getting up early, and for this segment we were up at 4:30am filming John preparing the summer bio-dynamic stir. After an hour or so of hand mixing three gallons of water and mystical cow-horn silica powder together, swirling the water in one directional vortex to another...we were ready to hit the lush fields with this water mister.

The fascinating parts to bio-dynamics is that the air around the plants gets sprayed, versus the soil itself. But all mysticism aside, bio-dynamics does statistically work in producing higher yielding, better tasting fruits and vegetables!

Just goes to show how much there is to learn each and every day about where our food comes from, and how those who love the land and tend to it with care and passion, end up spreading this love to everyone who eats this produce!

Stefan Roberts states in his article that "his (Branson's) plans are for a huge 20-villa estate with a restaurant and all the luxuries of which visitors to Necker Island have become accustomed...and the whole island will be powered by wind and hydro power, and aims to be completely and utterly carbon-neutral."

We feel that Richard Branson is one of the greatest, socially responsible entrepreneurs this planet has ever known!

When you look at all the multi-billionaires and triple-digit millionaires who prefer to show off their wealth using all forms of ostentatious wasteful things, like 'Hummer-limos,' or non-sustainable mansion building, we have to give a standing ovation to Mr. Branson for setting the bar on setting these proper kinds of green trends.

As you all well know by now, our TV series travels the world seeking out sustainable, eco-friendly locations and resorts that invite a new breed of planet-friendly tourism. We feature organic, bio-dynamic kitchens and alternatively powered places that have low/no impact on the environment.

So we celebrate the development of this new earth-thoughtful resort, especially as it will most certainly impart a sense of deeper wisdom to their visitors, hopefully inspiring them to go home and take action.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

It's not so much that we're a day late in wanting to wish those of our audience based here in the U.S. a happy 4th of July, but rather giving it an extra day, or long weekend, we hope to really reflect on the meaning of Independence Day in more profound ways.

We feel it's so important to ask ourselves what does liberty mean? What do the freedoms mean that our founding fathers risked their lives, against all odds to fight for to build this nation? And especially, to remember not only what the Declaration of Independence says, but how it framed the very constitution that so many generations to this day are fighting and dying to uphold to defend.

During the days that the British Crown controlled the continental colonies, Americans were subjugated to pledge their allegiance to one tyrannical King. This king could invade peoples privacy, search and seize property, arrest individuals without charges, hold them without representation, torture them, kill them, and otherwise plunder society in any way he saw fit.

Our country is far from perfect, but one of its greatest attributes is the fact that the nation was founded on dissent of this executive power way back when, establishing rules of law and inalienable rights, where each citizen is created equal under these laws.

Thus the Declaration of Independence embodies a manifesto, a collective fist that slammed down on the court of this king in England and said, 'no, we will not stand another moment to be enslaved by such tyranny!' Free people from that point forward raised their heads up and looked toward America as the shining example of what 'government by the people and for the people' really means.

It's no illusion that dark times have shrouded our system of checks and balances. We are witnessing an executive branch that believes it is all powerful and can freely suspend the rights of privacy and habeas corpus, institute torture and otherwise wage wars around the world, without allowing legislative approval or oversight. With control of the judiciary, (and a complicit, corporate driven mass media) - this small group in the executive branch have effectively seized the reigns of our legislature, and with it our government.

We are therefore 232 years after the Declaration of Independence was inked and signed, almost exactly back where we started!

So, it's time to stand up and write your representatives in congress and the senate, your governors and assembly people, your mayors and town councils, and say 'Yes! to checks and balances in government,' and 'Yes! to granting habeas corpus rights to everyone,' and 'NO to torture of any kind for any reason!' Because if we don't stand up for those who are arrested and not charged, and not provided proper access to defend themselves in a court of law with real legal support, then who will stand up if this happens to you?

True patriotism is loving your country so much that you have to say the things that have to be said, and take positive, peaceful and proactive steps to guide our democracy back on track.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Well, at least we stopped the spray over urban and densely populated areas of northern California - the CDFA (California Department of Food & Agriculture) apparently still reserves the right to spray "forested areas," which of course we all plan on monitoring what this means, and doing our part to help prevent it from happening.

Just a reminder about what this was all about (see The Hippy Gourmet Blog: Stop the Spray benefit concert) - the Federal government gave a bunch of money to the State of California to 'spray' a type of pheromone (inside tiny plastic capsules that stick to things), to rid us of a tiny brown apple moth that hasn't been proven to cause the slightest bit of harm!

Some spraying actually took place over populated areas of Monterey and Santa Cruz, California a few months ago. Over 600 cases of illness and difficulty breathing were reported after this spraying, including children being rushed to hospitals for severe asthma symptoms - where before they were perfectly healthy!

The States plan was to start spraying other parts of urban and suburban areas, but we joined together with the StopTheSpray.org and StopTheSprayMarin.org groups and turned our TV cameras on for famous rock stars and politicians to express their position against all of this.

We forwarded our YouTube segment to the Honorable Governor Schwarzenegger, and to our local Congresswoman, the honorable Anna G. Eshoo, and we were so happy and relived this week to receive this letter from our Congresswoman Eshoo:

..."In response to our concerns and those raised by many residents including you, the CDFA and USDA announced last week that they will no longer be spraying the pesticide aerially to eradicate the light brown apple moth..."

So for all of those out there who think that getting involved in positive activism won't work, or that writing letters to your representatives in state and federal offices won't be read, then this ought to be an excellent example for the fact that it really does work.

Our democracy is built on a strong foundation of dissenting voices, for a free press that pushes for the truth and isn't influenced or controlled by corporate interests, and most of all by communities coming together to act and to be heard.

"Yes!" magazine has a wonderful photo essay by Arash Shiva that depicts regular, every day life in Iran that shows a side of this complex country that doesn't look so much different than downtown wherever you are right now. Except for some of the women wearing head scarves and more conservative Islamic dresses in a few of the shots, the images of children smiling, men playing chess, people shopping, and cityscapes, these photos are really just a mirror of our own fragile and miraculous humanity.

The article goes on to state that "70% of Iranian citizens are young, in their 20's and 30's," and from everything we've come to learn about the people of Iran is that they are pro-democracy and more in favor of secular/open minded cultural values than their own state media (and ours) puts forth.

What's most important to note is that the population of Iran wants peace, not war - and when you see the photos and learn a bit more about their youthful culture, it's obvious that the good citizens of Iran are really on the verge of changing their religious and overbearing leadership, and in their own peaceful and democratic way.

Thus the reason why we have to be so vigilant in doing everything in our power to prevent the powers that be from starting yet another war in the region, if only by looking into the eyes of the innocent people in Iran and seeing that they're no different from us.

So the next time you see an article about 'bombing Iran,' or you hear or see something on TV about this, please just think about the photos of the people you've seen here and hopefully we can prevent this tragedy from happening.

We advocate peace, strive for hope and practice love - is this really so radical? Share your thoughts, whatever they are, we love to learn.